291–292
Stranger
Str. And the state that is ruled by the few is called, as the case may be, aristocracy or oligarchy.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. To be sure.
Stranger
Str. In the case of democracy, however, whether the multitude rule those who have property by violence or with their willing consent, and whether the laws are carefully observed or not, no one ever habitually changes the name.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. True.
Stranger
Str. Now then, do we believe that any of these forms of government which are defined by the distinctions between the one, the few, and the many, or wealth and poverty, or violence and willingness, or written constitution and absence of laws, is a right one?
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. I don’t see why not.
Stranger
Str. Look a bit more closely along the line I am going to point out.
5
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. What is it?
Stranger
Str. Shall we abide by what we said in the beginning, or dissent from it?
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. To what do you refer?
Stranger
Str. We said, I believe, that royal power was one of the sciences.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Yes.
10
Stranger
Str. And not only a science, but we selected it from the rest as a science of judgement and command.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. Yes.
Stranger
Str. And from the science of command we distinguished one part which rules inanimate works, and one which rules living beings; and so we have gone on dividing in this manner to the present moment, never forgetting that it is a science, but as yet unable to state with sufficient accuracy what science it is.
Younger Socrates
Y. Soc. You are right.
